I’m forgetful. I’m also a bit unorganized (maybe more than a bit). Even making lists doesn’t always save me from forgetting something crucial on my travels. What’s the one thing that everyone remembers to pack that would be ridiculous to forget?
I’ve forgotten it.
I’ve spent some time researching all these animal tourism experiences that sound wonderful. I want to do them all! However, I’ve come across the truth of many of them. Most touristy activities that involve captive animals also include horrific animal abuses at worst and neglect at the best. Spending my tourism dollars on ethical animal tourism is important to me. In fact, it is one way we can all make a huge difference.
I was so scared to travel and I never even considered traveling alone. My friends never had money or time. Frequently, both. If they did, they’d go with their significant other. I didn’t know that people traveled solo simply because they could. Nor did I realize how rewarding it would be. How do you alleviate the fear of traveling? How do you fight the foe called travel anxiety?
One thing I love to do for myself is write letters to Future Me. It has helped me realize when I’ve made progress in my life and thinking. It reminds me of difficult times and that I’ve persevered through them. I get snapshots of what my kids were like at certain ages and I’ve made sure to include more about my little precious people in my future letters to my future self. The snapshot shows me where I was on my journey and where I am now.
I’ve been struggling with a very difficult parenting decision. And I thought I’d made peace with it, until we came out of a weekend where we were beautiful, model unschoolers. Or homeschoolers. Or whatever term makes you happy. I really want to continue to live the unschool life in a go to school world.
My grandmother died yesterday morning at age 100. Obviously, given her advanced years and also her declining health, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. Though, you do always think you have just a little bit longer.
Our relationship wasn’t a close one. She had a tough life. Born in 1917, she was the oldest of 6 children (outliving all but one sister). My great-grandmother died when my grandma was only 13 years old and she raised her siblings. What that entailed was quitting school and taking on house cleaning work to make their lives a little better. She lived through both World Wars and countless others, and also the Great Depression. This cemented her frugal nature and has definitely had some bearing on me, as my dad is also frugal.
Grandma was practical to a fault and often tactless. She always told me how fat I was while I was growing up. While I have many memories of her, there are two strong memories that stand out in my brain at the moment.
I was there, fellow mom traveler or mom traveler want-to-be. It felt like I’d never get out of the mom rut. Would I ever get to see a beach again? Would I ever get to visit Europe or Japan? Could my husband and I travel with our kids and live to tell the tale?
Are you a seasoned traveler or a novice? Either way, traveling with kids changes how you do things. While a flight delay might be an annoying experience for a solo traveler, it can be downright awful for those with young, hungry, tired, and bored children.
If you’re planning on flying with a toddler or preschooler, these quick and easy tips will help you get through your flights. Make your travel days go smoothly. Or at least as smoothly as possible. Go forth and embark on family friendly travel!